Donation Sublette County Unified Fire recently received a $750 donation from Enterprise Product’s Jonah Gas Gathering Asset. Donations such as these help the department to provide their fire fighters with the tools, personal protective equipment and other resources needed for emergency response. Pictured here are Tim Forrester (left), Superintendent of Maintenance from Enterprise Products (EPROD) gives a donation check to Michael Petty (right), Sublette County Unified Fire. Click on this link for more on this story: Sublette County Unified Fire receives donation from Enterprise ProductsPhoto by Sublette County Unified Fire.

Mountain Man Christmas Lighted Parade Pinedale kicked off the holiday season with their annual Mountain Man Christmas on Saturday, December 9th. The event was sponsored by the Sublette County Chamber of Commerce and included the official lighting of the trees on the courthouse lawn, a night-time holiday parade down Pine Street, caroling, and late night shopping downtown. Pictured here is part of the cast of the Green River Rendezvous Pageant. Click on this link for more pictures: Mountain Man Christmas Parade 2017Photo by Terry Allen.

Hey Santa! Santa Claus also visited to take part in the parade for Pinedale's Mountain Man Christmas holiday festivities. Click on this link for more pictures: Mountain Man Christmas Parade 2017Photo by Terry Allen.

December 20: Celtic Winter Solstice Concert with Ensemble Galilei -
The nationally known Celtic music group will return to Pinedale for an evening of free holiday music on Wednesday at 7PM. The free concert will be in the Lovatt Room of the Pinedale Library.December 23: PAC Frosty 5K Family Fun Run -
Saturday, 10am. This event takes place rain, snow, or shine! Dogs and strollers are welcome. This is a free event and costumes are encouraged! Warm up with cocoa or in the hot tub after the event! www.pinedaleaquatic.comJanuary 26 - February 1: 2018 Pedigree Sled Dog Race -
Race starts in Jackson on the 26th. 27th in Alpine, 28th in Kemmerer, 29th in Big Piney, 30th in Pinedale, 31st in Lander, February 1 a travel day, Feb 2 in Driggs Idaho, Feb 3 ending in Teton County. www.wyomingstagestop.org.February 3: 18th Annual One Lunger 100 Vintage Snowmobile Race -
At Sagebrush Downs Oval track near Cora. Hosted by Snow Explorers/Altitude Off-Road Inc. Visit www.pinedalesnowexplorers.com for rules and entry forms. Concessions available.

Pinedale Online is Pinedale, Wyoming on the
web. We give our viewers, locals and out-of-area visitors, a "slice
of life" snapshot
window into our world view of what is happening in Pinedale. Visit us for
current local news on what is happening, photos of local events, links to
area businesses and services and more. We are long-time area residents and
are happy to answer questions if you are planning a visit to our area. Much
of our information is by community contribution.

Wolf News Roundup 12/10/2017(posted 12/10/17)Cat Urbigkit, Pinedale Online! Wyoming huntThe Wyoming Game & Fish Department reports that by Friday afternoon, Dec. 8, there have been 40 wolves taken in the fall wolf trophy hunting season (of a total quota of 44-note correction), and a total of 30 wolves taken in Wyoming’s predator zone so far this year. The predator zone count includes wolves taken by hunters, wolves removed for livestock depredations, and other legal and illegal human-caused mortality.

Montana monitoringThe days of capturing and placing radio collars on wolves in Montana may soon be coming to an end, as the state moves toward a new monitoring system. Using exiting monitoring data, the state may adopt patch occupancy modeling, dividing the state into grids the size of wolf pack territories, and using hunter surveys to learn if those grid cells are occupied by wolf packs.

Idaho dataIdaho wildlife officials are fighting a court order to destroy data obtained from tracking data on elk and wolves. The court determined that the helicopter crew placing those collars had illegally landed in a wilderness area, and ordered the destruction of all data that had been collected from the resulted tracking. Read the Associated Press report linked below for details.

Great LakesWisconsin wildlife officials trapped and killed a wolf in the Superior region this fall after the animal repeatedly approached a group of workers. The wolf was part of a local wolf pack, and the individual wolf The wolf population on Isle Royale has declined to just one wolf. The last wolf appears to be a female, the last of a severely inbred population. The National Park Service is moving forward with plans to reintroduce wolves back onto the island. It demonstrated no fear of humans. Wisconsin’s wolf population now numbers nearly 1,000 animals.

Mexican WolvesEnvironmental groups filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service over its just-released wolf recovery plan for Mexican wolves. They take issue with the plan’s recovery goal of 320 wolves in the wild, and maintain that number needs to be at least 750 wolves.

Ontario caribouEndangered caribou on an island in Lake Superior will be live-translocated off the island in attempt to save the population from wolves. The caribou herd dropped from 680 after a small group of wolves crossed an ice bridge from the mainland to the island in 2013. The endangered caribou population now numbers only 120 animals.

Game & Fish catches up to mule deer poacher and files charges(posted 12/9/17)Still seeking information on second poaching incidentWyoming Game & FishPINEDALE, WYOMING - The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reports that they have caught up with the individual who illegally shot a buck mule deer south of Pinedale recently. The buck was killed Sunday, November 12, along the Boulder Lake Road. The mule deer hunting season there closed on October 6. The deer was seized and the individual has been charged with taking a deer out of season and shooting from a public road.

"I would like to send out a huge thank you to the individuals from local and surrounding communities who assisted in bringing this case to closure," said South Pinedale Game Warden Jordan Kraft. "We often rely on tips and information from the public regarding wildlife violations and this case is a good example of the public and Game and Fish personnel working together to protect Wyoming’s wildlife."

However, Game and Fish officials are still seeking information on a second buck mule deer that was illegally shot northeast of Buckskin Crossing, off of the Lander Cut-Off Road (CR 23-132) near Long Draw. It is believed the deer was likely killed November 9 or 10. The buck deer was shot during a closed season and only the antlers were removed from the animal.

Anyone with possible information regarding this second poaching incident, or who was in the area and may have noted suspicious vehicles or activities, is encouraged to call the Pinedale Game and Fish office at 1-800-452-9107, the STOP POACHING hotline at 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847) or the South Pinedale Game Warden, Jordan Kraft, at 307-367-2470.

Callers may remain anonymous and any information leading to an arrest and conviction may result in a reward of up to $5,000.00.

Cowboy Joes 4H robotics team selected Wyoming State Grand Champions(posted 12/7/17)Pinedale Online!The Sublette County Cowboy Joes 4H robotics team participated in the First Lego League Wyoming State Championships (FLL) in Casper, Wyoming in early December. This season’s FLL Hydrodynamics Project Challenge was to improve the way people find, use, transport or dispose of water.

The Pinedale Cowboy Joe’s team chose an innovative solution for transporting water by including drone technology as a search tool for finding and recording wash-outs in canals and ditches. They continued their quest to improve their technology skills by creating a Power Point Judges presentation and also creating some fun and entertaining green screen stop motion videos.

Their team robot, BatCycle, is a box robot incorporating many gears that allow a single motor to function for all of their Robot Mission Challenges.

The ten member team is composed of elementary and middle school students ranging in age from 9-13 years old. Team members are Brycen Vrska, Noah Daniels, Elizabeth Adkins, Liam Walker, Noah Adkins, Wyatt Griffin, Cayden Christensen, Emmaline Vrska, Alex Adkins , Eva Collins. They are coached by Sandra McLoughlin and Andy Adkins.

The team was thrilled to be selected as this season’s Wyoming State Grand Champions. They are part of 108 teams, representing more than 34,000 teams who participated worldwide during this past season, invited to attend the FLL Hydrodynamics World Festival Championship in Houston, Texas in April 2018. This is the second year in a row the Cowboy Joes 4H robotics team has been selected to attend the FLL invitational world championships.

Thank you to Sandra McLaughlin for her contribution to this article. Photos by Andy Adkins.

Nominations open for Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame Class of 2018(posted 12/7/17)Wyoming Cowboy Hall of FameThe Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame (WCHF) has inducted 195 people since 2014, 184 men and 11 women. Beginning December, 2017, nominations are open for the Class of 2018. The nomination window on the WCHF website will continue to accept nominees until February 28, 2018.

Everyone is encouraged to nominate worthy individuals who represent the true cowboy heritage of Wyoming, men and women who have spent their lives with horses and cattle, pursuing and perpetuating the livestock industry that makes Wyoming great. Only people who have been correctly nominated will be considered for possible induction.

Nominees are inducted annually from 10 geographic regions across the state, having first been filtered and vetted by local committees after the nominations close, then further evaluated and selected by the WCHF Board of Directors in the Spring of 2018.

BLM Pinedale Field Office announces seasonal motorized vehicle restrictions(posted 12/7/17)Bureau of Land ManagementPINEDALE, WYOMING - The Bureau of Land Management Pinedale Field Office is notifying the public that motorized vehicle travel on BLM-administered big game winter ranges in the Ryegrass, Bench Corral, Deer Hills, Calpet, Miller Mountain and Mesa areas will be restricted from Jan. 1 through April 30, 2018.

This annual closure is in keeping with the Department’s goal of shared conservation stewardship and has been in effect since 2008. The closure is necessary to protect elk, moose, pronghorn and mule deer from disruptive human activities during the difficult winter months, which can increase the mortality rate for these animals.

Motorized vehicles including but not limited to: snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, pickups and sport utility vehicles are prohibited in these closed areas. Highways, county and active oil and gas roads are not affected unless posted otherwise. Motorized vehicle use on public land the remainder of the year is always limited to existing roads and two-track trails. Non-motorized travel such as walking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing or mountain biking is still allowed.

The following areas are included in this seasonal closure:The Ryegrass, Bench Corral, Deer Hills, Calpet and Miller Mountain winter ranges including lands north of Fontenelle Creek, east of the U.S. Forest Service Boundary, west of U.S. Highway 189 and south of Horse Creek. The Mesa winter range including lands east of County Road 110/East Green River Road, north of County Road 136/Paradise Valley Road, west of the New Fork River and south of U.S. Highway 191. Exceptions to this closure include:

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office and the BLM when performing official duties; Operators of existing oil and gas facilities performing maintenance and pumping, as approved in their permits; Livestock operators conducting permitted activities; Utility companies conducting emergency maintenance after notifying the BLM;

Other users who have been granted an exception by submitting a written application to the BLM for review and approval.

Signs will be posted at key locations entering the closed areas. For more information, please contact Mark Thonhoff at 307-367-5357.

BLM suspends or delays parts of waste prevention rule(posted 12/7/17)Actions reduce burdens that stunt economic growth and hinder America’s energy dominanceBureau of Land ManagementWASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of President Trump’s goal to reduce the burden of federal regulations that may hinder economic growth and energy development, the Bureau of Land Management today announced in the Federal Register that the agency will temporarily suspend or delay certain requirements contained in its 2016 final Waste Prevention Rule (also known as the Venting and Flaring Rule) until Jan. 17, 2019.

"As we strengthen America’s energy independence, we need to make sure that regulations do not unnecessarily encumber energy production, constrain economic growth, or prevent job creation," said Brian Steed, BLM Deputy Director for Policy and Programs. "By holding off on certain requirements, the BLM now has sufficient time to review the 2016 final rule while avoiding any compliance costs on industry that may not be needed after the review."

The BLM reviewed the 2016 final rule as part of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s Secretarial Order No. 3349, American Energy Independence, issued on March 29. The BLM found that immediately implementing some parts of the 2016 final rule could unnecessarily burden industry as the BLM considers which parts of that rule might change.

In planning for additional review of the rule, the BLM determined that a temporary suspension or delay of certain requirements avoids compliance costs on operators for requirements that may be rescinded or significantly revised in the near future. For certain requirements in the 2016 final rule that have yet to be implemented, the rule temporarily postpones the implementation dates until Jan. 17, 2019. For certain requirements in the 2016 final rule that are currently in effect, the rule temporarily suspends their effectiveness, also until Jan. 17, 2019. This gives the BLM sufficient time to review the 2016 final rule and consider revising or rescinding its requirements. During this time, existing federal, state, and tribal regulations will ensure energy development is done in an environmentally sound, safe and responsible manner.

The BLM has engaged in stakeholder outreach in the course of developing this rule. On Oct. 16 and 17, the BLM sent correspondence to tribal governments to solicit stakeholder views to inform the development of this final delay rule. The BLM issued the proposed rule on Sept. 28, which was published on Oct. 5. The agency accepted public comments through Nov. 6. The BLM received more than 158,000 public comments on the proposed rule, including approximately 750 unique comments.

The BLM supports the administration’s priorities that require agencies to seek ways to reduce the costs of regulatory compliance (Executive Order 13771, Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs) and that require the Secretary of the Interior to review four specific rules, including the BLM’s 2016 final rule on waste prevention (Executive Order 13783, Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth).

The rule and its associated documents can be found at the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions at the website.

Wyoming DEQ Air Quality Division Director Nancy Vehr gave updates on the winter pre-ozone season status. A highlight video is available for those who missed the meeting.

Video available of WY DEQ Nov. 28th Pre-Winter Ozone Season Open House in Pinedale(posted 12/6/17)Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!Wyoming DEQ has video footage available on YouTube of their Pre-Winter Ozone Season Open House held in the Pinedale Library on November 28th. During the meeting, Air Quality Division Director Nancy Vehr gave the several updates:

- There have been 5 consecutive winters of the Upper Green River Basin being below ozone standards.- 2017 had record levels of snowfall and there were 7 days recorded above the standards for acceptable levels of ozone in the Upper Green River Basin.- In the fall of 2016, Wyoming Governor Matt Mead recommended that all of Wyoming be designated as in attainment or attainment/unclassifiable. Sublette, Sweetwater and Lincoln County have been designated by the EPA as "Attainment/Non-Classifiable" for the new lower 2015 ozone standards. "That’s great news. That’s attributed to a lot of hard work on everybody, the citizens, the industry, and the regulatory entities all working together. Our goal is to keep underneath that standard every winter."- DEQ will be doing regular communication updates about every 2 weeks. They now have a regular point of contact person, Brian Hall. They will continue their daily ozone forecasts during January, February & March. They will continue to track VOCs at key locations during the winter ozone season. This is the 12th year of Wyoming DEQ’s speciated winter ozone season monitoring program.- DEQ has realized that some of the ozone episodes seem to last a little longer than a day. They have asked industry to think about things they can do to minimize emissions the day after an Ozone Action Day. They’ve also started a voluntary Ozone Action Plan available for individuals and businesses who wish to sign up as participating in the Contingency program for Ozone Action Days and the days after an Ozone Action Day.- The study on ozone emissions from waste disposal ponds was released this past fall and is available.- No additional rules or regulations are planned for compliance from Wyoming DEQ for emission reduction in the Upper Green River Basin. Monitoring will continue and operate under the Existing Source Rule that went into effect last year.

Dr. Alexia Harrist, State Epidemiologist/Health Officer for the Wyoming Department of Health was also present and made a brief presentation, as well as having a table with ozone and health related literature and how people can protect themselves. She said the goal of the WDH is to inform, educate and empower people as much as possible about their health. "There has been a lot of good research on the kind of health effects people experience when they are exposed to ozone."

Representatives from a number of oil & gas companies were present with information on their operations. Jonah Energy had a display on a pilot program they are doing installing thermoelectric power generators (TEGs) made by GenTherm to operate pumps that run glycol through their natural gas lines. The TEGs operate on natural gas from the system. They have no moving parts and are therefore very low maintenance. The results are showing emissions during the two month pilot test that the new TEGs prevent more than 98% of waste methane emissions from being vented out to the atmosphere. The company is continually looking for ways to reduce emissions from their operations.

Members of the local CURED group (Citizens United for Responsible Energy Development) were also present to talk about concerns local community members have about natural gas development in the Upper Green River Basin and impacts to citizen and worker’s health from emissions. Elaine Crumpley, a member of the CURED board, said, "Let’s revisit the health issue. Let’s come up with some tangible information about the Upper Green and what it’s doing to our health. We want to continue to cut down further on all the emissions."

Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office deputies confiscated over 200 pounds of marijuana found during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near Rock Springs recently. Photo courtesy Sweetwater County SO.

I-80 stop yields arrest and 200 pounds of marijuana(posted 12/5/17)Sweetwater County Sheriff's OfficeROCK SPRINGS/GREEN RIVER, WYOMING - A San Diego man is behind bars after deputies found just under 200 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle on Saturday (Dec. 2, 2017), Sweetwater County Sheriff Mike Lowell said Monday afternoon (Dec. 4, 2017).

When a Sweetwater County deputy and his specially-trained canine partner made a traffic stop on Interstate 80, a strong odor of marijuana was detected coming from the vehicle and a subsequent search produced 190.53 pounds of marijuana in 171 vacuum-sealed bags. Also seized were four marijuana oil cartridges and six refill cartridges. Street value of the seizure is estimated at well over $950,000.

The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, Jorge Carlos Villafuerte Paniagua, 29, of San Diego, California, was arrested without incident and transported to the Sweetwater County Detention Center, where he remains in lieu of a $15,000 cash or surety bond. He is charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver.

Lowell said the Sheriff’s Office has adopted a policy of not identifying deputies and their drug detection dogs involved in drug seizures due to incidences nationwide of law enforcement officers and their dogs being threatened in drug cases.

Vote for Pinedale for Polaris ‘Ranger Country’(posted 12/3/17)Polaris is celebrating a milestone in the production of rangers with a contest to determine the community that best embodies "Ranger Country".

Pinedale has made the top 5.

Gary Neely, former owner of Buck's Outdoors, recently spent a day filming a day in the life of a Pinedale Polaris.

The winners will get a SUBSTANTIAL amount of publicity from this. Feel free to also post this on your Facebook pages and any other sites to get more attention to this.

Wyoming participates in connected vehicle technology for Interstate 80(posted 11/28/17)WYDOT looking for fleet partners to participate in the pilot programWyoming Department of TransportationVehicles in Wyoming equipped with new communication technology will soon help make Interstate 80 safer for travelers.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation, the University of Wyoming and their partners demonstrated the new connected vehicle technology recently in Cheyenne to show how vehicles and roadside units can communicate road information and alerts to other motorists in near real-time time.

"This new technology is designed to provide travelers with additional information so they can make informed and safe decisions about their travel plans while they are on the road," said Ali Ragan, GIS/ITS project manager.

WYDOT received a grant previously from the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop and participate in the Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program. Wyoming is one of only three locations in the nation to participate.

This winter, WYDOT will install onboard communication devices on 100 of the department’s vehicles, including snow plows and Patrol vehicles, and about 75 roadside units on and around I-80 as part of phase two of the connected-vehicle project.

During phase three in the spring and summer, WYDOT will equip about 300 commercial trucks with the technology. During phase one in 2016, WYDOT and its partners planned the project.

Once phase three ends, WYDOT and its partners, and the United States Department of Transportation will each review the research to determine if the technology is beneficial.

"This technology will give us the ability to alert motorists of difficult situations before they encounter them," said Bill Panos, WYDOT director. "We are testing cutting-edge technology that will assist in keeping the traveling public safe. WYDOT is committed to providing a safe, high quality and efficient transportation system, and this technology further helps us accomplish that."

The demonstration used several vehicles, including a WYDOT snow plow and Patrol vehicle, to show how they can communicate with each other during a forward collision warning, a distress notification, a construction zone notification and weather warnings.

Depending on the situation, the technology would either interact vehicle to vehicle, vehicle to roadside unit or roadside to vehicle.

"For the vehicle-to-vehicle communications, a vehicle sends out a safety message and a nearby vehicle then receives it, allowing critical information to be shared in near real-time" Ragan said. "For vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, a vehicle that has information on an incident sends it to the roadside unit, which then sends it to WYDOT’s Transportation Management System (TMC). The TMC can also send out alerts based on information collected from connected vehicles and other systems including weather stations and reports from maintenance employees to the road side unit, which is the roadside-to- vehicle communications piece."

In the event of a forward-collision warning, the vehicle moving at slower speeds would send out a signal indicating its speed, direction and heading. Other vehicles in the vehicle stream equipped with the technology would pick up that notification and drivers will be alerted if there is danger of crash.

"The forward collision warning would be beneficial in a low-visibility situation," Ragan said. "This could then help prevent a crash."

WYDOT is also partnering with Sirius XM to help get the notifications to vehicles. Sirius’ satellite system has 100 percent coverage within the I-80 corridor, which means equipped vehicles can receive the messages no matter where they are. The Sirius partnership can help fill in any gaps with the 75 roadside units.

However, WYDOT still needs to have the roadside units because Sirius can send the information but not receive it.

John Dooley, owner of Dooley Oil of Laramie and former Wyoming Transportation Commission chairman, said the new connected vehicle technology can definitely help with safety. Dooley’s company is participating in the pilot program, and his trucks will be equipped with the technology.

"I wanted to get behind WYDOT and help test this new technology," Dooley said. "From a safety standpoint, this will definitely help commercial vehicles be prepared for any issues ahead of them on the interstate."

WYDOT is still looking for fleet partners to participating in the pilot program. Companies interested in partnering with WYDOT can email the department at dot-cv@wyo.gov or call (307) 777-4231 or (307) 777-2985.

Caution to wolf hunters:(posted 11/25/17)Black sheep dogs at workCat UrbigkitHunters seeking wolves in the predator zone in the Big Sandy region are cautioned that the big black canines in the sheep pasture on Mack Flat are actually livestock guardian dogs. The dogs are in the company of traditional white sheep dogs.

Although our family (the Urbigkits) has had considerable wolf problems in the last few months, the wolves are never seen in daylight in the sheep pastures, instead retreating into the nearby mountains, including Muddy Ridge. Muddy Ridge can be accessed via Bridger-Teton National Forest roads.

Many wolf hunters have been startled to see large, dark-colored canines on the sheep range, and we urge hunters to be aware of the presence of these black, or black-and-white, sheep dogs and to leave the dogs to do their jobs.

Pinedale
Online! is designed and maintained by Wind River Web Services LLC in
Pinedale, Wyoming to offer a "slice of life" view of happenings
in and around Pinedale, Wyoming. Webmaster
for this site is Dawn Ballou. Although we try to cover as many local
events as possible, we have a very limited staff and much of this site
is done
in our volunteer time. We welcome community volunteers who can provide
pictures or event information. Photos by Pinedale Online unless otherwise
credited. Please see our companion site Pinedale OFFline, www.PinedaleOFFline.com,
updated annually on April Fool's Day. All site content is copyright 2017. No
photos, stories or
content may be used or reproduced without permission for commercial or non-commerical
purposes. Please contact Pinedale Online for more information or permission about
using pictures or content found on our site, or advertising on this website.
If you find any broken links on our site, please let us know. Privacy
Policy: E-mail inquiries may be forwarded to the local Chamber of Commerce,
businesses or others who can best respond to questions asked. We use website
server visitation statistics to compile web traffic analysis to refine our site
content to better serve our visitors. Server statistics do not gather e-mail
addresses or personally-identifiable information. Pinedale Online does not sell,
trade or rent our opt-in lists or any personally-identifiable information
to third parties. Thanks for visiting Pinedale, Wyoming on the Web!